Nearly a year later, Delhi is all set to launch its own “Climate Change Agenda 2009-2012” in keeping with six of the eight priority missions defined by the Prime Minister’s plan. The core areas defined by the plan include Solar Energy, Enhanced Energy Efficiency, Sustainable Habitat, Conserving Water, Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem, Green India, Sustainable Agriculture, and Strategic Knowledge Platform for Climate Change.

“Of eight, two — the Himalayan Ecosystem and Sustainable Agriculture — are not applicable to Delhi,” Chief Secretary Rakesh Mehta said. “We have adopted the rest as part of our own climate change plan that we will implement by 2012.” The state government’s “Climate Change Agenda for Delhi, 2009-12” has been sent to the PM’s Office for approval. While launching the plan, the PM had said it identified measures that promote “our development objectives while also yielding co-benefits for addressing climate change effectively”.

Mehta said some of the initiatives listed in the programme have already been launched — such as the Delhi Jal Board’s Interceptor Sewer project under JNNURM, incentivising use of solar heaters for both domestic and commercial purposes, and shutting down of the coal-fired power plants of Indraprastha Power Company. Several projects have been identified and developed under the six-pronged mission, Mehta added.

Under the plan, Delhi will have 10,000 buses running on CNG by 2010. The plan also emphasises the need to convert existing diesel-operated transport vehicles like tempos and trucks to CNG, but this will need policy changes. Road tax and registration charges for diesel and petrol-run cars need to be raised to create a public transport fund, the plan says.

ON THE TABLE

Proposed projects in Delhi’s Climate Change Agenda 2009-12

* Finance public transport by creating a Transport Development Fund (TDF) and transfer some tax receipts from registration charges and Air Ambience Fund to TDF

* Encourage biofuel usage by converting oil from hotels/restaurants — 100 hotels to participate in this project

* Set up more modern abattoirs in Delhi

* State government to provide assistance to all low-income group colonies for greening residential areas

* Introduce congestion tax on lines of the London Congestion Tax

Existing projects

Air Ambience Fund: Delhi Government had some time ago decided to impose an environment fee on sale of diesel at 25 paise per litre and use the fund for creating an “Air Ambience Fund” to promote clean air policies. Delhi Pollution Control Committee issued directions for collection of such fee through the Department of Trade and Taxes

* Interceptor sewer canals laid along Delhi’s three major drains to ensure only treated water enters Yamuna